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Funeral of Aragog
The funeral of Aragog took place after the acromantula Aragog passed away. Harry Potter used this opportunity to obtain the Horcrux memory from Horace Slughorn. Before the Burial Aragog, the acromantula cared for by Rubeus Hagrid for over fifty years, became ill over the summer of 1996. Despite Hagrid's ministrations, his health continued to deteriorate over the next several months. Finally, on the 20th of April, 1997, the elderly acromantula passed away. Hagrid, determined that his lifelong friend should receive a proper burial, removed Aragog's body from the Forbidden Forest to prevent the other acromantulas from cannibalizing the corpse. Hagrid sent an invitation to Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger to join him for the burial, but the trio decided to decline. Ron's previous encounter with Aragog, not to mention his arachnophobia, set him firmly against attending, and Hermione reasoned that it was not worth the risk of punishment for being outside the school at night. Although he felt sorry for Hagrid, Harry reluctantly agreed with his friends. As it so happened, that night Harry took a small dosage of the luck potion Felix Felicis in an attempt to obtain a vital memory from Professor Horace Slughorn. To Ron and Hermione's shock, Harry was filled with an overwhelming urge to visit Hagrid and help him with the burial. Trusting in the Felix Felicis, Harry left the castle and headed for Hagrid's hut, encountering Slughorn near the greenhouses along the way. Harry subtly persuaded Slughorn to attend the burial as well by baiting him with the possibility of obtaining valuable acromantula venom. The Funeral Slughorn arrived at Hagrid's hut shortly after Harry, bringing with him several bottles of wine. They proceeded to the pumpkin patch, where Hagrid had laid Aragog's body next to a large, freshly-dug grave. After discreetly obtaining some of Aragog's venom while the emotional Hagrid was distracted, Slughorn gave a moving eulogy in Aragog's honour that Hagrid described as "beautiful". Hagrid then hefted the acromantula's body into the pit, and Slughorn filled in the grave with a wave of his wand. Aftermath Returning to the hut, Slughorn and Hagrid indulged in several bottles of wine, while Harry used a Refilling Charm to keep things going. After Hagrid passed out, Harry used the opportunity to persuade Slughorn to give him a memory pertaining to Voldemort's Horcruxes that Dumbledore had tasked him with retrieving. By stirring Slughorn's sympathies with tales of his mother, Harry was able to obtain the memory at last. Behind the scenes *In the film version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, there is no mention of Aragog before the funeral itself, nor does Hagrid send an invitation to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. After drinking the Felix Felicis, Harry simply walks down to Hagrid's hut with Slughorn in tow to find the funeral already in progress. *There is an added portion in the film version where Slughorn tells Harry of how Lily gave him a pet fish named Francis. This is not mentioned in the novel. Appearances *''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' *''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)'' *''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)'' *''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'' Category:Ceremonies Category:Funerals